2 Reasons TV ‘Comedy’ Writers Should Have Stayed on Strike: Colbert and Kimmel

Tim Graham / October 13, 2023

Conservatives and Republicans should be at the top of the list of people who enjoyed the writers strike over the summer. From May through September, the alleged comedians who are an important part of the Democrats’ messaging and morale machine were sidelined.

They missed the opportunity to wallow joyfully in Trump indictments and mock the first two presidential debates (and Donald Trump skipping them). So, when the strike ended, the usual parade of unfunny Republican-trashing began.

Don’t they mock the guy who’s president? Not much, because he’s a Democrat, and he’s still their hope against a second term for Trump. Joe Biden only comes up with old-fogey jokes, because that’s a safe topic. Even the Democrats think he’s too old for the job.

Typically, this was a Jimmy Kimmel joke, about Amazon: “Joe Biden spent his October Prime Day trying to figure out where the hell this woman Alexa who keeps yelling at him is hiding.”

But it’s much more common to make fun of the Republicans as a terrible mess.

When House Republicans took the step of nominating Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., to be House speaker, Kimmel joked they “took a break from fake-impeaching Joe Biden.” The result? “Scalise beat out Jim Jordan in a closed-door session and will now spend a night in the fantasy suite with Matt Gaetz to see how they hit it off.”

That’s a joke about off-screen sex on “The Bachelor.” Homosexual jokes are fine … when you’re making fun of those icky conservatives.

Over on CBS, Stephen Colbert summarized: “Congratulations, Steve. You are one step closer to having the worst job in the world. It’s just one rung below emptying the port-a-potties at a chili cook-off.”

Kimmel even made fun of Scalise being shot on a softball field in 2017 … because that was supposed to make him a leftist on gun control. “And when he recovered and came back to Congress, he knew that nothing like what happened to him should ever happen again. So, as his first act, he introduced House Resolution 2481, that required all baseball players to carry AK-47s in their protective cups.”

If you think Kimmel would ever make fun of former Rep. Gabby Giffords, D-Ariz., after she was shot, you’re forgetting she’s a Democrat and became a massively celebrated advocate for gun control.

Colbert is welcoming the congressional Democrats to his show again to trash Republicans. Gun-grabbing young Rep. Maxwell Frost, D-Fla., said, “It seems like they’re OK with kids being mowed down at their schools.” Colbert said nothing in reply.

Then Colbert welcomed recovering stroke sufferer Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., for a bucket of gush. He asked Fetterman, “I can see how being more empathetic might make you a better senator. And being public about the disability that you have is a good thing. But how does it feel to have your private health become public news?”

After six weeks in office, Fetterman was gone for two months being treated for depression. Fetterman attacked Fox News, but all the Democrat journalists were biting their nails over his absence.

Colbert then praised his social media game (and the staffers who run it): “Is it awkward to be in the Capitol and then run into people that you have put up a devastating meme about, because you’ve got [an] excellent meme game? But then you have to see these people in the cafeteria!”

These comedians are trying to make up for lost time, trying to be the wind beneath the wings of the Democrats. They are certainly not attempting to please a general audience, like we’re living in the last century. To most people, they’re just unfunny hyperpartisans.

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